Apparatus for tamping in sheet material for roofs and the like



April 11, 1950 M. L. MOYER 2,503,560 APPARATUS FOR TAMPING IN SHEETMATERIAL FOR ROOFS AND THE LIKE Filed April 2, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1I'NVENI'OR MAURICE L.MOYER o 16 BY I 12 so 32 @MZ QMQ Z ATTOR N E'YSApril 11, 1950 M. MoYER 2,503,560

APPARA FOR TAMPING IN SHEET MATERIAL OR ROOFS AND THE LIKE Filed April2, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l6 !8-:Jm|1\ O -'WI 1/ 4? MIMI/Ill n 12 INVENT'OR MAURICE L. Movsrz ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 11, 1950 APPARATUSFOR TAMPING IN SHEET MATE- RIAL FOR ROOFS AND THELIKE Maurice L. Moyer,Akron, Ohio Application April 2, 1947, Serial 'No."7'39;U3'6

This invention relates to'appara'tus for applying flexible sheetmaterial to a plastic base, and, more particularly, is concerned withsubstantially automatic apparatus for camping in metal foil, or otherflexible sheet material, into a plastic base, for example, a layer oftar on a roof.

It has been proposed heretofore to employ metal foil in conjunction withroofs, walls, tanks, and the like, to assist in sealing the surface, and

this has generally been achieved by first brushing on a layer of tar,'or other plastic base, then laying down the metal foil, which is rolledor brushed on, followed by a final layer of brushed on tar or otherbituminous plastic. A very good roof, for example, is thus p'rovided,except for the fact that it is very difficult to eliminate all airpockets underneath the metal foil, and if these air pockets are noteliminated, they swell'and collapse during temperature changes, make theroof undesirable to walk upon, roll things over, and the like, and are apotential source of breakdown and leakage in the surface treated. Inknown hand operations of rolling or brushing in the metal foil, veryconsiderable numbers of air pockets are encountered unless a great dealof tedious hand work is performed, and sometimes in spite thereof, whichhandwork is extremely hard on the roofer or other operator.

Also, in the application of metal or other fiexi ble foils to roofs andthe like in known processes, it has been the usual practice to firstgive the roof or other surface a coat of tar or other plastic sealingmaterial, followed by the application of the foil, felt, or otherflexible sheet material. This means that with part or all of the entireroof covered by tar, it is very difficult fora workman to functioneffectively on thereof, the tar laying in advance of the roll of foil orfelt being a constant hazard and very messy. The same is true after thefoil or felt has been applied to the surface when the entire roof isbrushed or coated with the final plastic layer.

It is the general object of my invention to avoid and overcome theforegoing and other difiiculties of and objections to' knownpracticesand apparatus by the provision of an improvedrelativelyinexpensive, easily operated apparatus for quickly and mechanicallyapplyingfoil, felts, or other flexible sheet material to the plasticcoated sur" face of 'a roof, or the like, with the flexible sheetmaterial being tamped in over its entire area to avoid the formation ofair pockets or other potential-trouble spots. 3'

Another' object of my'invention'is to provide apparatus of the characterdescribed including a 16 Claims; (Cl. 215*20) iii 2 frame which supportsa roll of the sheet material so that when the frame is rolled over thesurface the sheet material 'is laid down on the surface, andw'ith theframe carrying power driven tamping means which are moved into and outof engagement with the sheet material a large number of times a minuteto embed the sheet material very positively over its entire area withthe plastic base material.

Another object of myinvent'ion is the provision of apparatus for tampingin metal foil and the like in the manner described, with the appa-'ratus including a plurality of brushes resiliently held toward the sheetmaterial, but with the brushes being adapted to be lifted away from thesheet material against the action of the spring by motor driven camswhich lift up and drop the brushes a large number of times each minuteagainst the sheet material, the brushes being positioned in overlappingrelation to cover substantially the entire width of the sheet material.

Another object of my invention is to provide apparatus of thetyp'eherein set forth and which includes spray nozzles positioned inassociation with the front and/or the side of the apparatus for layingdown an even coating of the plastic underneath of the sheet materialbeing unwound from the apparatus, and, if desired, to the side of theapparatus to cover the length of sheet material previously laid by theapparatus, the plastic being laid down only as the apparatus is movedforward to thereby in'sure a uniform coating of the plastic.

The foregoing objects'of my invention, and

.'- other objects which will become apparent as the descriptionproceeds, are achieved by the provision of apparatus including a frame,means re movably and rotatably mountin'g'a roll of sheet material on theframe, a roller substantially the width of the sheet material, saidroller supporting one end of the frame, and underneath which the sheetmaterial passes, means rotatably supporting the other end of the frame,a plurality of brushes or tamping means carried on the frame intransverse overlapping relation, means carried by the frame toindividually tamp the brushes into engagement with'the sheet material alarge number of times a minute over the full width'of the sheet materialto embed the sheet material without air pockets into a plastic base, andhan dle means on the'frame for guiding the frame over the plastic base.The means for effecting the tamping' action ordinarily include springmeans for urging the brushes towards the sheet material and motordriven-cam means for lifting" the brushes against the action of thesprings and dropping the brushes to allow the tamping action. I may alsoincorporate with the apparatus spray means for laying down plastic atthe front of the apparatus, conveniently underneath the sheet materialas it is unwound, and, if desired, for spraying plastic on a previouslength of sheet material laid by the apparatus, the plastic being fed tothe spray nozzles only when the apparatus is advanced across the surfaceto be covered so that the coating of plastic is uniform on the surface.

For a better understanding of my invention reference should be had tothe accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the back of one embodiment of apparatusincorporating the principles of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view through the apparatus astaken substantially on line IIIIII of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic plan view, on a reduced scale, of the apparatusof my invention incorporating plastic spray equipment;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a modification of myapparatus;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 of still another form of myinvention; and

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic showing of one of the possible relationships ofthe brushes of the apparatus illustrated.

Having particular reference to the drawings, and to Figs. 1 to 3thereof, the numeral [0 indicates a frame which is made from angleirons, plates, bars, castings, or other suitable material, and usuallylight weight metal, such as aluminum or magnesium. The front of theframe In rotatably supported for movement over a surface, and therotatable supporting means may take the form of a wide roller l2 whichis usually crowned, and is journaled in suitable bearings I4 which arefastened to the bottom of the forward end of the frame H]. The back endof the frame If! is supported for movement over a surface by one or morerotary elements, such as a pair of wheels l6 carried in caster bracketsl8 at the back of the frame, with the caster rollers being adapted toturn about vertical axes to permit the frame ID to be turned during itsmovement over the surface to be treated. A handle 2!! extending upwardlyfrom the frame is adapted to be grasped by the operator of the apparatusto move the apparatus over the surface.

Associated with the front of the frame ID are bearings 22 whichrotatably support in a quickly releasable manner a roll of flexiblesheet material S. for example, metal foil, felt, or the like, with thesheet material ordinarily being in a relatively wide roll, usually inthe neighborhood of from twenty-four inches to thirty-six inches wide,the sheet material being pulled off of the roll, passed under the roller22, and back under the apparatus so that on the forward movement of theapparatus the sheet material will be unrolled from the roll andprogressively applied to the surface to be covered. or course, my apparatus can be built smaller to handle flexible sheet material narrowerthan twenty-four inches wide if this be desired. In this connection, Imay incorporate features of my invention into a small hand-heldapparatus having one or two brushes and adapted to tamp narrow strips offoil as flashing around corners, chimneys, and the like.

Associated with the frame ID are tamping means for compacting the sheetmaterial S onto the plastic covered surface to which the sheet materialis to be applied. Such tamping means may take a variety of formsincluding brushes, cellular or soft rubber blocks, cloth pads, or thelike, and may be of a variety of sizes. In the form of the inventionillustrated, the tamping means includes a plurality of brushes 3!] eachof which is adapted to be tamped a large plurality of times a minuteagainst the upper surface of the sheet material S, as will be evidentfrom Figures 2 and 3. The tamping action on the brushes is convenientlyobtained by securing each brush in a quickly releasable clamp 32 mountedupon the bottom end of a rod 34, the rod being adapted to bereciprocated up and down by any known means. The reciprocation of therod 34 can be obtained by electric solenoids, air motors, or other knownprime movers, but one particularly practical way of achieving thedesired result is to employ rotary cams for lifting and dropping eachrod.

Having reference to Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings, it will be noted thateach rod 34 is mounted in the frame II! for vertical sliding movement,the downward sliding movement of the rod being limited by a spring 36and an adjustably positioned nut 38, and the upward movement of the rod34 being limited by a spring 40 and an adjustably positioned nut 42.Near its center, each rod 34 carries a. rotatable cam follower 14. Ashaft 46 rotatably journaled in the frame l0 carries a cam 48 adjacenteach cam follower 44 so that upon rotation of the shaft 46 each rod 34will be lifted up against the action of the spring 40 to move the brush30 away from the surface of the sheet S until the high spot of the cam48 passes by the cam follower 44 whereupon the force in the compressedspring 40 will throw the rod 34 downwardly to give a good sharp tamp ofthe brush 3!] against the sheet material 8. The shaft 46 is driven froma gasoline or an electric motor 50 mounted on the frame, the drive fromthe motor 50 including belts 52 and 54 and a jack shaft 56 mountingpulleys carrying the respective belts. In certain light-weight or otherforms of my invention, I may effect the drive for the tamping meansdirectly from the wheels and eliminate the motor 50.

Fig. 1 illustrates that the rods 34 and brushes 30 are mounted side byside transversely of the frame ID, with the brushes being held at anangle so that the brushes will form an overlapping pattern whereby thetamping action of the brushes on the sheet materialwill take placesubstantially over the full width of the sheet'material. In the form ofthe invention shownin Fig. l of the drawings, the three right handbrushes are positioned at an angle of somewhat less than degrees withrespect to the axis of the roller I2, and the three left hand brushesare positioned at the same but an opposite angle to the axis of theroller I2. The actual pattern that the brushes form may be widely variedas longas the brushes overlap, and in Fig. 7 I have shown one more ofthe various overlapping patterns which may be used with the brushes, theposition of each brush in Fig. 7 being indicated by the numeral 30'.

- It is believed that the operation of the apparatus of Figs. 1 to 3will be understood from the foregoing description, suffice it-to sayhere that the surface to be covered with the sheet material as tar,bituminous material, or other waterproofing material or materialpossessing desired characteristics, whereupon the apparatus of thepresentinvention with the sheet material positioned as in Fig. 2 or 3 ismoved over the plastic base by an operator grasping the handle 20, withthe motor 50 operating by having a long extension cord running back to asource of electric power. If the motor 50 is a gasoline motor, and isself contained, it is sometimes advantageous inasmuch as the dragging ofa long elcctric cord over the roof is eliminated. Also, it might benoted here that I may clutch the motor in and out to drive the roller l2or otherwise propel the apparatus so that it will be unnecessary for theoperator to push it.

In any event, with the motor 50 operating the brushes will be tamped alarge number of times a minute across the entire width of thesheetmaterial S to embed the sheet material in a particularly positive andsatisfactory manner in the plastic base material on the surface to becovered. Any air pockets in the sheet material are eliminated and aparticularly effectiveand permanent bond between the sheet material andthe plastic base is effected. After a length of the sheet material hasbeen laid down, the sheet material is usually out between the roll ofsheet material and the roller l2, the machine is turned around andaligned to go back down over the surface in a path immediately adjacentand parallel to the strip of sheet material just laid, whereupon thesheet material is pulled from the roll under the roller I2 and a secondstrip of sheet material is laid down, this second strip usuallyoverlapping the first strip by one or more inches depending upon thetype of joint or seam to be made.

Now, having reference to Fig. 4 of the drawings, the apparatus of Figs.1 to 3 is illustrated with several additional features attached thereto.Particularly, mounted in front of the frame Ill is a spray nozzle 60having spray slots or nozzles adapted to distribute a substantiallyuniform coating of plastic base material over the surface on which thesheet material is to be applied. The plastic base material is adapted tobe applied by the spray nozzle 60 immediately in front of the sheetmaterial just before the sheet material is laid down by the roller l2 asheretofore described. The plastic base material may be fed to the spraynozzle 6|! in any one of several different ways, one convenient mannerof achieving this result is by mounting a tank 62 on the top of theframe m the tank being adapted to contain the plastic base material. 0r,instead of the tank 62, the plastic base material may be fed by aflexible conduit to the frame Ill Regardless of the manner of supplyingthe p astic base material in association with the frame Ill, Ipreferably incorporate suitable means in combination with the supply ofplastic base material to the spray nozzle 60 so that a uniform coatingof the plastic base material will be applied to the surface.

In order to achieve this, it is usually neces' sary to provide meanswhich'will control the flow of plastic base material so that the plasticbase material will flow to the spray nozzle 60 only at the time that theapparatus is being advanced over the surface to be treated. There areseveral ways to accomplish this, for example. a control valve may bepositioned inthe conduit supplying the nozzle 60, with .such controlvalve being opened only in response to the forward movement of thevehicle. Another manner 01 6 obtaining the desired result is to providea pump- 64 on the top of the frame ID, the pump 64 being operated by abelt 66 running down and being connected to the roller 12. Usually oneto three gallons of plastic are applied per square of surface, i. e., anarea of one hundred square feet. To control the quantity of plasticapplied, the pump 64 may be a-variable volume pump, or it may be drivenfrom selectable different diameter pulleys. A conduit 68 supplies theplastic base material from the tank 62 to the pump 64, and a conduit 10runs from the output of the pump 64 to the spray nozzle 60. In thiscombination of parts, the pump 64 will be operated only upon the forwardmovement of the apparatus over the roof or other surface being treated,at which time the pump 64 will pump the plastic base material from thetank 62 through the conduit 10 and out of the spray nozzle 60 in auniform manner both transversely and longitudinally of the area coveredby the apparatus,

and only upon the forward movement of the;

apparatus.

As an additional feature upon this improved form of my invention, I maymount a side nozzle mechanism for effecting the tamping action of thebrushes, and in so doing illustrate only several of the many additionalways the tampi-ng action can be obtained.

More specifically, in Fig. 5, aspring lever is fastened at one endto aframe member 82, the other end of the spring member carries a brush,rubber block, pad, or other tamping means 84, and this end of the springmember 80 is adapted to be picked up and dropped by a cam 86 carried ona shaft 133 which is journaled in the frame of the apparatus and isadapted to be rotated by any suitable prime mover and associatedmechanism in the manner heretofore described. A roll S of sheet materialis carried at the front of the apparatus and is adapted-to lay down alength of the sheet material underneath the tamping mechanism upontheforward movement of the apparatus, all in the manner heretoforedescribed. A front spray nozzle 60 and a rear and side spray nozzle 12*may be included in thecombination of parts.

In Fig. 6, a roll of sheet material S" is fed to meet a'brush or othertamping means 90 which is adapted to be tamped into and out ofengagement with the strip of sheet material laid down on the surface bymeans of-an eccentric and strap mechanism 92 driven from a shaft ratus,adapted to apply sheet material, such as metal foil. felt, and the like,to a plastic base on a roof or other surface. My improved apparatuslargely eliminates the-drudgeryand back break-.

ing effort of hand applying operations, and a much improved bond betweenthe flexible sheet.

material and the surface is effected. When spraying means for applyingthe plastic base material areincorporated with my apparatus in the"manner shown in 4, further hand operations and messiness are eliminated.;.In the actual use of an apparatus incorporating the features of myinvention, the amount of metal foil laid in a given roof operation by asingle operator has been multiplied many fold over known hand methods,and the quality of the job done is strikingly sup'erior to that formedby hand methods.

While in accord with the patent'statutes, I have specificallyillustrated and described at least one known embodiment of my invention,it is to be particularly understood that I am not to be limited theretoor thereby, but that the scope of my invention is defined in theappended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for applying flexible sheet material to a plastic base on aroof or the like comprising a frame, means removably and rotatablymounting a roll of sheet material on the frame, a roller substantiallythe width of the sheet material, said roller supporting one end of theframe and underneath which the sheet material passes, means rotatablysupporting the other end of the frame, a plurality of brushes carried onthe frame in transverse overlapping relation, means carried by the frameto individually tamp the brushes into engagement with the sheet materiala large number of times a minute over the full width of the sheetmaterial to embed the sheet material without air pockets into theplastic base, and handle means on the frame for guiding the frame overthe plastic base.

2. Apparatus for applying flexible sheet material to a plastic base on aroof or the like comprising a frame, means removably and rotatablymounting a roll of sheet material on the frame,

means rotatably supporting the frame, a plurality of brushes carried onthe frame in transverse overlapping relation, means carried by the frameto individually tamp the brushes into engagement with the sheet materiala large number of times a minute over the full width of the sheetmaterial to embed the sheet material without air pockets into theplastic base, and handle means on the frame for guiding the frame overthe plastic base.

3.' Apparatus for applying flexible sheet material to a plastic base ona roof or the like comprising a frame, means removably and rotatablymounting a roll of sheet material on the frame, means rotatablysupporting the frame, a plurality of brushes carried on the frame, meanscarried by the frame to individually tamp the brushes into engagementwith the sheet material a large number of times a minute over the fullwidth of the sheet material to embed the sheet material without airpockets into the plastic base, and handle means on the frame for guidingthe frame over the plastic base.

4. Apparatus for applying flexible sheet material to a plastic base on aroof or the like comprising a frame, means removably and rotatablymounting a roll of sheet material on the frame, means rotatablysupporting the frame, a plurality of brushes carried on the frame, meanscarried by the frame to individually tamp the' brushes into engagementwith the sheet material a large number of times a minute over the fullwidth of the sheet material to embed the sheet material without airpockets into the plastic base, and means for moving the frame over theplastic base.

5. Apparatus for tamping metal foil into a roof surface or the likecoated with plastic including a rotatably supported frame, meansrotatably supporting a roll of foil n the frame, means for moving theframe over the surfac with the'foil unwinding from the roll onto thesurface, a plurality of brushes carried on the frame, said brushes beingpositioned so that together they are adapted to engage with the foilover its full width, a motor on the frame, spring means urging eachbrush into contact with the foil, cam means operated by the motor forlifting each brush away from the foil against the action of the springmeans and for then dropping the brush so that the spring means throwsthe brush into tamping engagement with the foil.

6. Apparatus for tamping metal foil into a roof surface or the likecoated with plastic including a rotatably supported frame, meansrotatably supporting a roll of foil on the frame, means for moving theframe over the surface with the foil unwinding from the roll onto thesurface, a' plurality of brushes carried on the frame, said brushesbeing positioned so that together they are adapted to engage with thefoil over substantially its full width, a motor on the frame,

springs urging each brush into contact with the foil, and a cam operatedby the motor for lifting each brush away from the foil against theaction of its springs and for then dropping the brush' so that thespring throws the brush into tamping engagement with the foil, 7 7.Apparatus for tamping sheet into a roof surface or the like coated withplastic including a rotatably supported frame, means rotatably'supporting a roll of sheet on the frame, means:

for moving the frame over the surface with the sheet unwinding from theroll onto the surface, a plurality of brushes carried on the frame, saidbrushes being positioned so that together they' are adapted to engagewith the sheet over sub-' stantially its full width, a motor on theframe,

springs urging each brush into contact with the sheet, and a camoperated by the motor for lifting each brush away from the sheet againstthe a plurality of brushes carried on the frame, said brushes beingpositioned so that together they are adapted to engage with the sheetover substantially its full width, and means associated with each brushfor periodically throwing the brush into tamping engagement with thesheet;

9. Apparatus for tamping metal foil into a roof surface or the likecoated with plastic including a rotatably supported frame, meansrotatably supporting a roll of foil on the frame, means for moving theframe over the surf-ace with the foil unwinding from the roll onto thesurface,

brush means carried on the frame, and means carried on the frame forconstantly tamping the brush means into and out of engagement with" thefoil.

'10. Apparatus for tamping sheet into a' roof surface or the like coatedwith plastic including a rotatably supported frame, means rotatablysupporting a roll of sheet on the frame, means for moving the frame overthe surface with the"- sheet unwinding fromthe roll onto the surface,

brush means carried on the frame, and means carried on the frame forconstantly tamping the I brush means into and out of engagement with thesheet.

11. In apparatus of the character described, a frame, means rotatablysupporting a roll of flexible sheet material on the frame, means formoving the frame over a surface to lay the sheet material over thesurface, means carried on the frame for progressively tamping the sheetmaterial into the surface as the material unwinds, a series of spraynozzles positioned in front of the frame to apply plastic to the surfacejust before the sheet material is laid down, a series of spray nozzlespositioned at the side of the frame to apply plastic to a length ofsheet material previously laid down, a source of plastic supply associated with the frame, and pump means operated in relation to theforward movement of the frame for pumping plastic out of the spraynozzles.

12. In apparatus of the character described, a frame, means rotatablysupporting a roll of flexible sheet material on the frame, means formoving the frame over a surface to lay the sheet material over thesurface, means carried on the frame for progressively tamping the sheetmaterial into the surface as the material unwinds, a series of spraynozzles positioned in front of the frame to apply plastic to the surfacejust before the sheet material is laid down, a source of plastic supplyassociated with the frame, and pump means operated in relation to theforward movement of the frame for pumping plastic out of the spraynozzles.

13. In apparatus of the character described, a frame, means rotatablysupporting a roll of flexible sheet material on the frame, means formoving the frame over a surface to lay the sheet material over thesurface, means carried on the frame for progressively tamping the sheetmaterial into the surface as the material unwinds, a series of spraynozzles positioned in front of the frame to apply .plastic to thesurface just before the sheet material is laid down, a series of spraynozzles positioned at the side of the frame to apply plastic to a lengthof sheet material previously laid down, a source of plastic supplyassociated with the frame and pump means for pumping plastic out of thespray nozzles.

14. In apparatus of the character described, a frame, means rotatablysupporting a roll of flexible sheet material on the frame, means formoving the frame over a surface to lay the sheet material over thesurface, means carried on the frame for progressively tamping the sheetmaterial into the surface as the material unwinds, a series of spraynozzles positioned in front of the frame to apply plastic to the surfacejust before the sheet material is laid down, a source of plastic supplyassociated with the frame, and pump means for pumping plastic out of thespray nozzles.

15. In apparatus of the character described, a frame, means rotatablysupporting a roll of flexible sheet material on the frame, means formoving the frame over a surface to lay the sheet material over thesurface, means carried on the frame for rogressively tamping the sheetmaterial into the surface as the material unwinds, and a series of spraynozzles positioned in front of the frame to apply plastic to the surfacejust before the sheet material is laid down.

16. In apparatus of the character described, a frame, means rotatablysupporting a roll of flexible sheet material on the frame, means formoving the frame over a surface to lay the sheet material over thesurface, and means carried on the frame for progressively tamping thesheet material into the surface as the material unwinds.

MAURICE L. MO'YER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,887,341 Venable Nov. 8, 19321,953,825 Finley 1. Apr. 3, 1934 2,098,895 Velten Nov. 9, 1937 2,197,879Robinson Apr. 23, 1940 2,273,599 Smith Feb. 17, 1942

